Improvement in rail-joints



E. PAY-NE, Rail-Joint.

Patented Nov. 27, 1877.

UNITED STATES PATENT onerou- EDWARD PAYNE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAIL-JOINTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 197,493, dated November 27, 1877; application filed November 7, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD PAYNE, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rail-Joints, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification:

It is not necessary, for the purpose of ex-' plaining and elucidating the principle of my invention, to refer to desiderata of rail-joints, they being well understood by railway-engineers and others familiar with the construction and operation of railways. It will suffice to say that I have for object the production of a joint which, while insuring exact continuity of abutting rails and unyielding support of their ends, shall be compact, not liable to dismemberment, yet allow of the expansion and contraction of the rails under the influence of varying temperatures. And these objects I propose to accomplish by means of a device of easy and comparatively inexpensive construction, of ready application, and of great durability and permanency.

These objects I believe to have accomplished, first, by a joint-piece so constructed as to interpose between the abutting ends of rails a block which, while forming continuity of the top flange or tread, shall afl'ord lateral support to both the abutting rails by a fixed and a movable lapping clasp or fish-plate; second, by the formation of both or either the fishplates of such joint-piece with internal toothed or notched surfaces, and by the employment, in connection therewith, of locking-wedges or spring-keys; third, by the use, in combination with such joint-pieces, and the application to the movable fish-plate, of a tightening wedge or key.

To enable others to make and use my said invention, I shall now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of parts of two abutting rails united by means of the 1 jointsubject-matter of this patent. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same on linezz.

Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical sections on lines at wand y y, respectively. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the joint-piece with the solid or fixed modified character. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of wedge or spring-key.

In said drawings, It R are rails of ordinary or suitable form. Only so much ofthe rails is shown as will be necessary to illustrate the manner in which the same are united at their contiguous ends.

A is the joint-piece, which is composed of a block of suitable thickness to offer the necessary resistance to the impact of the wheels when struck laterally or across its width. This block is of the exact height of the rail, and is so shaped that its top shall con-form exactly with the tread or top flange of the rails to be united. The bottom, although wider than the bottom flange of the rail, is flush therewith. On the one end, and corresponding to the side of the web of the rails, and so shaped as to v snugly fit both the under side of the top flange and top side'of the lower flange, extends trans versely toand on either side of the block, the solid or fixed fish-plate B, shaped, preferably, as shown in the drawingsthat is tosay, with a central re -enforce or swell to give additional strength and rigidity to the plate at the point where it is or may be subjected, particularly on curves, to strain tending to deflect the rails. On the side intended to face the web of the rail the fish-plate is notched out, as at b b, for the purpose hereinafter to be explained.

Through the depth, or in a direction parallel with the fixed fish-plate, the block A is for the reception of the movable fish-plate l), perforated as shown at O, the mass of metal remaining between the fixed fish-plate and the perforation last referred to being, in shape and position, such as to constitute within the block a continuation of the web of the rail. Into this opening in the block fits a movable fish-plate, which consists of a plate flat on one side, and preferably thicker in .the middle than at its ends, the thicker portion being of a sectional area to loosely fit the said orifice.

When inserted into the orifice O a shoulder,-

d, butting against the web portion of the block, arrests its further pro gresswhen in place. The interior face of the movable'fish-plate is serrated, oblique teeth being cut upon the ends on each side of the part which is to fit the orifice in the block.

The base of the joint-block A projects on the one side, corresponding tothe interior opposite sides of the rails-that is to say, tothe flanges of the wheels-and a square notch, g, or other suitable recess is made for the reception of the spike whereby the block is fastened to the sleeper, hook-spikes being used on in place, so that the solid and fixed fish-plate shall be on the inside webs of the two rails. This being done, the movable fish-plate is pushed on the outer or opposite side of the rail into the orifice of the block. When the parts are thus placed,the joint is made tight, and locked by means of wedges H, which are inserted in the loosely-fitting ends of the fish.-

plates.

These wedges (shown in detail in Fig. 7) are taper-shaped flat' pieces ofwood, to the one side of which are secured inclined springblades h, which are inclined similarly to the teeth of the serrated surface of the plates, so that while they will allow of their being driven in (thespringyielding to such movement) they cannot be withdrawn without breaking the parts, inasmuch as the spring becomes locked, and there is no way to get access to it to unlock it.

These wedges it may suffice to use on but one side of the web of the rail. Theymay, however, be used on both sides, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

In certain climates, where thereis great variation of temperature, the rails, in contracting by cold, may leave gaps large enough to cause unpleasant jolts in the cars, and blows against the ends of the rails, which eventually may? produce depression at the joints and deteriorate the road. To obviatethis I have shown,

in Fig. 6, the block provided with ears or lugs on the contour of the top flange of the rail, these lugs fitting corresponding recesses in the top of the rails. When the rails so joined contract, the tread of the wheel will, notwithstanding the spaces or gaps between the ends of the rails, run on a continuous or unbroken surface on top of the rails.

If, by wear or for other reason, the movable fish-plate should become loose, then I propose to use an additional wedge, W, for the reception of which a recess may be contrived in the block A, on the outside of orifice G of the block.

Having thus described my said invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into efi'ect, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. A jointpiece constructed, substantially as herein shown and described, so as to inter-' pose between the abutting ends of rails a block which, while forming continuity of the top flange or tread, shall afl'ord lateral support to both the abutting rails by a fixed and a movable lapping-clasp or fish plate, as setforth.

2. In a joint-piece such as herein shown and described, the combination, with either or both the fish-plates, when serrated or toothed, as described, of locking-wedges or spring-keys, substantially as shown and set forth.

3. The combination, with the joint-piece, such as herein described, of a tightening-Wedge applied externally to the movable fish-plate, substantially as herein shown and set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrib ing witnesses.

' EDW. PAYNE.

Witnesses:

A. PoLLoK, E. A. DICK. 

